Out Of The Furnace

“Working for a living? I gave my life for this country and what’s it done for me? Huh? What’s it done for me?“

After finally helping Jeff Bridges to a long overdue Oscar in “Crazy Heart“, director Scott Cooper follows up that tale of a downward spiralling musician with another one of downward spiralling blue collar workers. Narratively, it’s lacking a certain something but one thing’s for sure with Cooper; he certainly knows how to bring out the best from his actors.

With a cruel twist of fate, Russell Baze (Christian Bale) lands himself in prison after a driving offence. While inside, his terminally ill father passes away and his younger, ex-soldier, brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) takes to bare-knuckle fighting to pay off debts. When Russell is released, he finds that Rodney is in over his head with a ruthless crime ring led by Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson). When Rodney eventually disappears, Russell takes matters into his own hands.

If the town depicted in “Out Of The Furnace” feels familiar then that’s because it’s likely reminding you of the same Pennsylvania steel-mill town that was the setting for Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter” in 1978. It would also seem that Scott Cooper is intent on regularly referencing Cimino’s classic throughout the films duration; it channels a similar theme of a lack of opportunities for the characters and even though some serve their country in war (Iraq steps in for Vietnam this time) they are forgotten about when they return home. We also get to stare down the scope of a hunting rifle now and again, and there’s even a scene where actual deer hunting takes place. And the point of it all, I hear you ask? Well, to be frank, I’m not particularly sure. Maybe Cooper is trying to tell us that so many years – and wars – down the line nothing has changed for these working class people. They’re mere fodder and left to go back to their land of opportunity were opportunity doesn’t really exist for them. This could be Cooper’s intention or it could just be that I’m reading into his script a little too deeply when it’s highly possible that there is no depth in the first place. Somewhere there’s a commentary on the economic state of contemporary America but the message is muddled somewhat, as it veers into a generic backwoods crime thriller.

The film is a strangely frustrating experience whereby what you see in front of you is visually commanding but it’s hard to connect to the character’s and their plight. The weakness of the script is apparent and it’s difficult to grasp the film as anything more than a revenge flick that leaves a slightly nasty aftertaste. That being said, Cooper is certainly a director that has a good eye and feel for detail and he has a full command over his splendid ensemble. It’s the solid performances that really make the film tick. Not that any further proof is required in terms of their acting abilities but a smoulderingly intense Affleck and a snarling, brutish Harrelson really excel and great (all-be-it, underwritten) support is delivered from Whitaker and Dafoe. It’s Bale who impresses most, though, in one of his most effective and understated roles. There’s nothing heroic about him. He’s simply a soulful man with a deep sense of family commitment and refuses to yield when anyone threatens that.

As much as I couldn’t see what the point of the whole affair was, I still went along with it. It’s deliberately paced and still manages to hold your attention. As a director, Cooper shows a lot of promise but he needs to tighten up on his writing duties. When that happens, I suspect we’ll see a real improvement on this potentially solid filmmaker.

Mark Walker

Trivia: Viggo Mortensen was first approached and Billy Bob Thornton was considered for the role that eventually went to Woody Harrelson.

It’s actually a decent flick, bro. I’d give it a go. I couldn’t quite understand the point of it all but it’s got plenty to enjoy and even though I wondered what I’d just watched, I still really liked it. It’s worth some attention.

Great review, as always, and I love the hit of trivia at the end. If I were looking at the casting options on paper for the role of ruthless crime ringleader, I would hands down pick Billy Bob over Woody. Not that I don’t think Woody could do it, just from a glance on paper if those were the options…

Thanks Smash! Personally, I’m a big Viggo fan and would love to see what he’d have done with this. But that would just be taking away from Harrelson, who’s actually quite brilliant here. All of them are! Thats what keeps the film afloat. The performances are outstanding!! 🙂

Though the material is a bit thin, the cast goes to town with it and makes us see why it is they are worth watching in the first place. Especially Bale, who owns this movie with his quiet-demeanor and lanky-look. Good review Mark.

Bravo Mark, astute review. I do have to say you’re onto something when you comment on not knowing exactly what the film is ultimately trying to say with all of these events. I scratched my head a bit, too. But for me, the performances were so captivating I was blind to most of the script’s weaknesses (and looking back, there were quite a lot). I loved it. I loved Harrelson and I loved Bale. Both were dynamite man.

Can’t argue at all about the performances, Tom. Everyone done done some fine work but the three leads, in particular, were superb. I think Bale had the hardest role, though, and still came out to be the most impressive. I can understand your love for it. I found plenty to admire too and in hindsight, I might be being a tad harsh on a 3 star rating. It was the script that let the film down a bit.

It’s a decent flick, Adam. The story is a bit on the light, meandering side but the performances are top-notch. Cooper is definitely a director who can get the best from his actors but his writing needs tightened up a bit.

Great review Mark! Though I’m a big fan of Bale’s, for some reason I’m not enthused about this one. “…it’s hard to connect to the character’s and their plight” Well that’s definitely frustrating, esp since there are so many revenge plot in films it seems, that you’d want a good story to really set it apart and make us care.

Thanks Ruth. As a fan of Bale, this is worth checking out. It’s a very subdued and gentle performance but still very powerfully delivered. I always enjoy Bale myself and this has actually become one my favourite performances of his.

Thanks Zoe. I didn’t dislike it and thought there was much to admire (particularly the performances and the sense of realism) but I couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind it all. It felt a little empty to me. Still, I can appreciate that others would have taken more from it than I did.

Yeah, I kinda felt the same way. The mood was spot on but I wasn’t fully understanding the socio-political message it was trying to convey. That being said, I did initially rate it 3.5 stars but notched it down slightly as a result of the muddled message. Still a decent flick, though.

That’s kind of you to say, Zoe. Cheers! As you know, It can be a tricky business putting a rating on something. I do try to remain objective but even I’ll allow bias to cloud my judgment sometimes. I do my best to remain fair, regardless of mass opinion and I’ll always try and explain my reasons.

It’s the truth. I know, jeesh sometimes I put mine in brackets then go back and forth on the merits and the shortfalls for an age! We all allow it to happen, but not EVERY review you put out is like OH MY GOSH THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER (that can really annoy me sometimes – not all movies are created equal. Some are created more equal than others :P). At least you formulate your opinions really well (I wrote Critical Reasoning yesterday, so that is all I have been looking at recently), so they make sense!

I try to mix my reviews up a little too. Sometimes I can watch three or four films in a row that I’d rate very highly but I don’t want people thinking I just give out great ratings all the time, so I’ll throw in a few stinkers here and there to break it up. 😉

Ha! Yeah, there are times when it’s utter garbage one after another too. I try to pick my films wisely, though. I often get an idea beforehand but the occasional (good or bad) surprise comes along now and then.

I don’t really don’t know how Mr. Isaacs keeps motivated with some of the things he watches 😉

Well, crappy films still have their place, I suppose. They can often be quite fun to tear apart too. I actually find it easier to slate a film than praise it. It’s a tough racket this reviewing business. 😉